Certification of 1st DGD drillship paves path for ultra-deepwater drilling

摘要

Drilling to deeper depths in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has increased the geometric complexity of sub-sea well designs. Deepwater drillers must contend with challenges such as narrowing pore pressure and fracture gradient (PP/FG) margins and higher equivalent circulating densities (ECD), resulting in tight tolerance casings that could lead to lost circulation and poor cementing while drilling and casing the wellbore. Enhanced drilling technologies are proving the economic viability of deep-water drilling, and Lower Tertiary reservoirs are revealing the enormous oil potential of the ultra-deepwater GOM. Modern-day mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) are capable of operating in more than 10,000-ft water depth and reaching 40,000-ft true vertical depth. The advanced technologies that make deepwater, deep-well drilling possible have the potential to significantly impact future deepwater drilling operations.